You Hold Me And I'll Hold You (Orchard Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Jo Carson (Author), Annie Cannon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997 | Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Orchard Paperbacks

When a great-aunt dies, a young child finds comfort in being held and in holding, too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A defiant girl is not cleaning her room when she hears her father, talking on the telephone, say he's "sorry to hear that." She's worried--his words remind her of what people said when her mother moved out. He tells her his aunt has died, and she recalls her grief when her sister's hamster died. She also remembers "preaching" at the animal's funeral; later, when her father cries at his aunt's funeral, he whispers, "You hold me and I'll hold you." The girl decides that these soothing words are "what I'm going to say if I ever have to preach at another funeral." Carson ( Pulling My Leg ) has created an engaging and straightforward heroine to dramatize the impact of death on a child--this girl thinks, reacts and talks in a remarkably believable fashion, making her narration all the more touching. She reveals her struggle not only with the event itself but also with remembered traumas and with the grief of adults. Lightly tinted watercolors with collaged-in materials provide an unthreatening setting, and Cannon ( With Love From Koko ) paints a family of reassuringly lovable people. All the elements of the book combine to make this a moving and sensitive exploration of a difficult topic. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A young girl narrates this story of how she attends her great-aunt's memorial service. Whenever someone says, ``I'm sorry to hear it,'' she wonders just how sorry she will have to be. She was sorry when her mother moved away from the family, and also when she had to preach at her sister's hamster's funeral. This service is different, though, for as she is saddened and frightened by the grief of the adults around her, her father takes her in his arms and wisely whispers, ``You hold me and I'll hold you.'' With beautiful simplicity, Carson pinpoints the greatest solace that people can have in times of grief--one another. The warm father-child relationship adds to the positive tone of the book, and Cannon's pastel-toned watercolors capture the childlike nuances of the narrative. Like the text, the illustrations allow rays of sun to dominate what could have been a dark subject. Realistic but nonthreatening, Carson's story charms as it comforts. All libraries will want to offer this book to someone to hold. --Lori A. Janick, Parkwood Elementary School, Pasadena, TX
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531070883
• ISBN-13: 978-0531070888
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,498,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gentle book about death and grieving, October 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: You Hold Me And I'll Hold You (Orchard Paperbacks) (Paperback)

This book is a quiet, simple way to talk about death with children without scaring them. The little girl has already dealt with major traumas in her life-- her mother walked out on their family, her hamster died-- and so when her great-aunt dies, she is prepared to experience a new aspect of grieving. She sees her father and her older relatives wracked with grief and she reaches out with new understanding. As a class read-aloud, it offers lots of children access with the side story of her hamster's death, allowing a discussion of grief and love and support to emerge easily. The absence of the mother in the story also allows other kinds of grieving and separation to be acknowledged.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Read it before you let your child, September 4, 2007

By 

Dr Zero (Sunny Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Hold Me And I'll Hold You (Hardcover)

My daughter brought this home from school and didnt like it too much and brought it to me to look at. I was really kinda shocked at the morbidness of the book and the way the family acted.
I would not recommend this one.